OC Pioneers Who Were Klan Members: Eugene Edmund French and Harry E. Byerrum, Huntington Beach Mayor and Fullerton Parks Superindentent with Parks Named After Them

Do you ever really think about the names given to parks, specifically those named after people? Most of them are named after former city officials, whether mayors, councilmembers, pioneers, and the like. But Orange County being Orange County, you're going to have some parks named after Klan members, and two of them happen to be Fullerton and Huntington Beach.

The first one is Harry E. Byerrum, for whom Byerrum Park in Fullerton is named after. He was the city's second parks superintendent (the first one was probably Klan as well). The second guy is a bit convoluted--the Klan member was Eugene Edmund French, and I'm almost certain E.B. French Park is named after him.

Here's what's not disputed: French was mayor of Huntington Beach from 1914 to 1916, and again to 1918 to 1919. He ended up moving to SanTana, and eventually became an undersheriff. There are no records of an E.B French ever living in Huntington Beach, and no one at the Huntington Beach Library I asked had ever heard of an E.B. French. E.E. French, on the other hand, they all knew.

So I say E.B. French Park should be E.E. French Park. What do YOU think?

Gustavo Arellano is the editor of OC Weekly, author of the syndicated column "¡Ask a Mexican!", and Taco USA: How Mexican Food Conquered America. He started at the paper with an angry, fake letter to the editor and went from there—only in Anacrime!